On April 7, tour a stream that flowed in the dark for decades

Part of the restored Broad Branch Stream in 2017. (photo courtesy of Underwood & Associates)

Decades ago, for reasons unknown, someone decided to confine a section of Broad Branch Stream to an underground pipe. When the stream saw daylight again in 2014, the restoration team envisioned a place that could filter and slow the flow of stormwater flowing to Rock Creek, a place where wildlife could thrive, and a place human life could enjoy.

Nearly five years after the project’s grand opening celebration, we’re taking you on a tour with experts who can show us the progress made in restoring Broad Branch Stream, and what still needs to be done.

Cecelia Lane of DOEE is leading the tour. She oversees this stream as one of its water specialists. Her predecessor, Steve Saari (now the associate director of DOEE’s Watershed Protection Division), saw the daylighting project through from start to finish. In 2012, he explained to our readers that this project would be the first of its kind in the District.

Since then, Forest Hills Connection has written at length about this stream and the plants and animals that have repopulated the area. The project has been covered by National Geographic and has won an award from the Chesapeake Stormwater Network.

As the maintenance of our streams and trails depend on the work of volunteers, the Rock Creek Conservancy will be at the tour to explain how neighbors can become good stewards of this wonderful community resource.